Florian grinned, holding her gaze a second too long and making her feel heat in places other than her cheeks. How long had it been since a man gave her such an appreciative gaze? Her husband certainly hadn’t ever looked at her like that, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he was already in the arms of his mistress in London. The thought had made her desperately sadonly the day before, but she’d almost become numb to it now, accepting after her humiliating attempt at seducing him that there truly was nothing she could do to save her marriage.
She stood and waited as Florian ordered, not sure whether to feel flattered or uncomfortable that he’d taken such an interest in them. Did he feel sorry for her because she clearly had such little control over her daughter, or did he feel unexpectedly drawn to her in the same way she was feeling drawn to him?
‘First one for the little lady, second one for the handsome young man,’ Florian said, before turning to her with a smile. ‘And lastly, one for their beautiful mother.’
She took the ice cream he held out to her, pleased to see that he also had one for himself. Delphine tried to lick hers in the most ladylike way possible, while stealing glances at Florian, wondering where he was from and what his story was. He certainly looked like a man who’d have a stunning wife at home waiting for him. Unless, of course, he was a widower? She had so many questions and no intention of asking any of them.
She glanced at his finger to try to catch sight of a wedding ring, but he wasn’t wearing one. It wasn’t conclusive though, as many married men didn’t wear jewellery. She wondered now if that was why Giovanni never wore his—did it make it easier for him to meet women?
‘Shall we sit or stroll?’ Florian asked, interrupting her thoughts. ‘Are you holidaymakers here to see the lake? It’s certainly a lovely day to enjoy the view.’
‘We’ve just moved here,’ Isabella said, before Delphine had time to answer. ‘But Papa has left for London and he’s not coming home.’
Delphine choked on her ice cream, spluttering as she glared at Isabella. Clearly her daughter was becoming far too precocious; she would be having a word with Martina when theygot home, and would make sure they were both harder on her manners from now on.
‘Papaiscoming home,’ Delphine said, firmly.
‘But I heard?—’
She gave her daughter such a sharp look that she stopped speaking immediately.
‘Your husband works abroad? And yet you’ve just moved here? From…’
‘Italy,’ she said. ‘Rome, to be precise. But my family is from Switzerland, and both my family and my husband’s family have business interests here in Geneva.’
He nodded, and they went back to eating their ice cream as they strolled.
‘How have you found it? Moving back to your home country?’
Delphine cleared her throat, looking away as she tried to think of how to answer.Lonely. Sad. Heartbroken. But, of course, she wasn’t about to tell him the truth.
‘It’s been an adjustment. I’d lived in Rome since I was nineteen, and I thought it was where I’d live for the rest of my life.’ She smiled. ‘And yet here I am, back in the country of my birth.’
He smiled, and she realised they were getting to the end of their ice cream. Delphine didn’t want their walk to end, was liking the company, and particularly the attention of Florian. She only wished it was him they were talking about, and not her.
‘Are you a tourist?’ she asked. But the second the words left her mouth, she knew it was a silly question. He was dressed for business, and his accent sounded as if he was a native Swiss.
‘Not at all. I have a house near here.’
‘Overlooking the lake?’
He nodded. ‘Yes, overlooking the lake. I grew up in Annemasse, so I’m French-born, but my parents worked here and I always knew that this was where I wanted to be. AfterI graduated, I went looking around the lake for houses, and I decided then and there which house I wanted to own one day. It took me a decade, but when I had the money, I knocked on the door myself and offered to buy it.’
‘I’m impressed,’ Delphine said. And she was. He was clearly successful, but he was telling her almost matter-of-factly rather than boasting. ‘And I’m also impressed that you have time for ice cream in the middle of the day. Your boss must be very understanding.’
Florian laughed, and she knew she would do anything to see him laugh like that again; to see his eyes crinkle at the sides and his head tip back. It was a real laugh, and it made her want to laugh, too. When had she last been herself like this? Had a conversation with another person without worrying that she was saying the right thing? Laughed without being self-conscious?
‘Thankfully I am my own boss. I work in finance,’ he said. ‘But I have to confess that I wasn’t looking for ice cream. I had a business meeting earlier, and I was walking to my favourite restaurant on the lake for lunch when I crossed paths with your delightful daughter.’
‘My precocious daughter,’ she corrected. ‘I have no idea how she became so wilful.’
‘She has a captivating smile, just like her mother. There’s nothing precocious about her at all.’ He laughed. ‘Perhaps you were the same at her age?’
Delphine sighed. Perhaps he was right, although it had been so long since she was a little girl with dreams that she’d almost forgotten. ‘I’m sorry we ruined your lunch. Is there any way I can make it up to you?’
Florian stopped walking for a second, his ice cream long gone as he smiled at her. They stood for a short while, the remnants of her ice cream in her hand still as she watched him in return.
‘Would you like to join me?’ he asked. ‘For lunch? Have you eaten?’
